Dreadlords Blood Lost

[Edric]

For a moment as Henk's steps came closer, He thought. His answer coming to Alistair just as the other boy appeared. "I don't know."

He answered honestly. Gilram had offered to explain, had told those who had asked, but Edric didn't ask. He had kept himself in the dark on purpose, just as he had done before. Trust came slowly to someone like an Archon, and he knew the less questions came from his lips, the more Gilram would see him useful tool.

But a knife would cut even those who wielded it.

Edric stared at his former classmates, his eyes flickering between the two of them. Both their words echoing in his mind as he considered the balance of scales.

He knew he could beat them.

Confidence built over years and years of training told him that much, but neither Henk nor Alistair would fall easily. If he fought them with anything less than his best, he would lose. Either of them were strong in their own way, and together the only way to win was to kill one, or both.

The battle flickered through his mind. How the two of them would work together. Henk's luminous powers burning away his flesh and Alistair's runes binding him.

They were not Initiates. Inexperienced and ignorant of how he fought.

"You know Gilram can't be trusted with what this place holds. You've seen what he is willing to do."​

"I know, Henk." He said voice echoing in the tunnels. His gaze slipping past his former classmates as he sensed two more flickers of life drawing closer.

He took a slow breath, drawing power slowly from his reserve and letting it flow into his muscles."You're just going to have to trust me."

Then, suddenly, Edric turned on his heel and with a burst of speed rushed into the open doorway. Leaping down the steps and into the maze like catacombs beneath Vel Draza.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair frowned at the footsteps behind him, thinking Lumen or Aelita had caught up with him. He raised an eyebrow when he saw out of the corner of his eyes that it was Henk. What was he doing here? Were the others ok? Had he done something to them? No, the other footsteps arriving were the girls.

Henk seemed to be voicing neutrality, but Alistair could not help himself from taking one step to the left so that he could better see the two of them. His willingness to fight on his side and not Edric's did put him slightly at ease, but he could not forget that at the end of the day, Henk was no longer a Dreadlord.

Alistair watched Edric run off with a frown. Trust was earned. For something like this, he had not earned that yet. He knew Edric was trying something, but no matter how strong the man was in a war, Alistair had not seen boons from his work to warrant trust on this level.

Edric could not continue to cling to trust when Anirians died around him.

Alistair rushed over to the entrance of the catacombs, but paused for a moment, and then looked back to Henk. We are going down there...All of us. He spotted Lumen and Aelita's arrival.

He began to weave rune lines into the air that etched themselves into the stone around the entrance...a safety precaution.

"Lumen, Aelita, change of plans. This assignment is being upgraded to the highest degree of danger. Henk will remain free for the moment as he will be assisting us. I repeat this is incredibly dangerous. Use deadly force immediately to defend yourselves, but retreat if you come in contact with the enemy."

Alistair did not lock eyes with Henk at any one moment, choosing to take command of the situation. The message was clear. If you want to help Henk, then you do this my way. The Dreadlord way, not yours.

Edric Henk Lumen Aelita

 

[Lumen]

Lumen's caught-up in time to the see back of a man disappear into the doorway that lead to the catacombs below. Her hand remained on this hilt of her sword. Circular, golden shield held and up on her left arm. Shoulders squared, her attention on her Commanding Officer, Alistair. A wary, quick side-eye to Henk.

But a quick nod to Alistair.

"Yes sir." She would never disobey his orders. Except maybe...that fleeing order? If Alistair was in trouble, well. She'd never leave her Commanding Officer. Wasn't that the right thing to do? Lips thinned as she thought on it more. It made her wonder who she'd seen fleeing into the catacombs. Who they were about to face. "Do you know how many others there are...who they are?" She asked as she unsheathed her sword, the low-hissing sound filling the space between them all.

A quiet whisper as she held it up, saying its name that only she could hear.

And without hesitating, she'd offer a quick nod to Aelita. A smaller, hesitant nod to Henk - as if to say, she'd be watching him closely. And then she'd step into the catacombs. Sword and shield ready. Senses alert.

 

[Henk]

The message was received loud and clear. Henk merely closed his eyes for a moment and nodded. He'd follow Alistair's command for now.

Edric had given Henk hope when he claimed to understand his point, but his chest fell all the same when his former comrade broke from the pair of them and fled deeper into the belly of the old building. Henk understood; Edric was doing his best to spare them pain. In The Warrior's mind, the end result would have been a foregone conclusion. He would win, and Edric, Alistair, and the Initiates would perish.

After all that Henk had put himself through since last they met though... Well, If Edric hadn't improved significantly since graduation, Henk was certain he could beat him.

"At the risk of overstepping my boundaries..." His hands slid under his cloak, fingers wrapping tightly around the handles strapped to his hips and pulling them outward. With a somewhat mechanical click, the cloak wrapped around his body fell to the floor. Underneath it was what little remained of the coat he'd always worn during his time at the academy, the middle stitched shut and the sleeves removed and replaced with the scaled leather arm guards Ralene had made for him as a parting gift on their last day together.

They'd saved his life several times already, and he'd made his own addition; the silver dirk blades that now extended from the top of each wrist with the right flicking motion, along with a few other little surprises...

"...I would like to take point."

Glancing at Alistair, and then Lumen. He steps forward without waiting for an answer."The loss of a runaway exile is far less burdensome than the loss of a Dreadlord and a promising Initiate."

Maybe Edric was still on his side. Maybe his siding with Gilram was part of a longer game that Henk wasn't privy to. Maybe it would have been smarter to just leave him be.

But now that he'd seen The Warrior's eyes, Henk had decided that this old friend was in over his head, and it was time to pull him out.

 

[Aelita]

Lumen and Henk ran off before they could witness Aelita manhandling Erendias.

When Aelita caught up to the scene, Edric already ran off. With her off hand, she dragged a hog-tied Erendias. A slight smile graced her face. She no longer carried the two books she found earlier.

After hearing Alistair’s order, Aelita replied with an energetic, “Yes, sir!”

Dropping Erendias at the mouth of the catacombs, Aelita made sure to ask, “What do we do about this guy?”

 

[Edric]

Edric moved like a blur, rushing down the steps and down into the catacombs before any of those behind him could think to follow. He darted around the first corner, then took half a step before coming to a sudden stop.

Eyes flickered, adjusting to the darkness around him.

Then the realization struck him.

The ancient undercroft of Vel Draza was a maze of tunnels, crypts, and ancient chambers that most had forgotten. A labyrinth laid out sprawled before him, with no real direction or path through it. He could feel the pinpricks of life behind him, the vitality of his former comrades, and in the distance somewhere he felt those who he stood with now.

Yet how to get there was a complete mystery. He had not studied a map, and Leilwin had been supposed to send someone to fetch him when they were ready. The plan had never been for him to come down here until. Not until things were properly prepared. A curse flickered through his mind, and his gaze flickered over the three doorways laying ahead of him.

Edric glanced back over his shoulder for just a moment.

Another decision was made, and he stepped quickly towards the right. Moving with silent steps into the tunnel darker than night.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair waived Henk forward. He likely would have asked him to take the lead anyways. Why? IF they had to have a meat shield, then it might as well not be one of his men. He liked Henk, but he was not one of his men at the moment.

Alistair looked up at the tied-up man and glanced at Henk questioningly, like had he really brought this man here? He simply sighed and pointed to the wall.

"Drop him over there. He will die if we take him down there."

Alistair walked over and placed a hand on both Lumen and Aelita. Two runes in the shape of eyes slid down his hands and stuck to pieces of their armor. This way he would be able to know where they were if they were separated.

"At the moment, we really only have one advantage. The catacombs below are a puzzle for most...Thankfully, we will not be so lost."

Alistair had studied the layout of the fortress before his arrival. He had also been given access to an old map depicting the catacombs. Originally, he had believed the information he desired to be hidden in the catacombs, so he had studied the maps for weeks with no success. He had made sure that he knew most of that map by heart before he came here.

Lumen Aelita Edric Henk

 

[Lumen]

A few things happened at once. Before she could take a step through the tunnels, Henk was moving forward first. Did he just call her promising? Lumen couldn't help the swell of pride flare in her chest. Even as confusing as it was to get a compliment from a wanted man. A wanted man who was risking his life for them.

Focus.

She had to focus on what they were about to face.

Aelita had caught up. Blonde squad. Alistair was there. Tawny-eyes followed the rune as it shifted on her armor.

Sic.

"Yes sir," a quick salute with the pommel of her drawn sword before she hurried to catch up to Henk, not too far behind. Keep an eye on the criminal just in case he decided to betray them. Even though her gut told her he wouldn't.

It wasn't long before they came to three doorways. Lumen paused. "I can probably figure out which way he went," she said quietly, glancing back at Alistair and Aelita. A side-glance to Henk. "I can sense temperature and should be able to cast my magic down these tunnels to at least find...if there's a living body or more down some."

And without waiting, she stretched her magic forward, sensing the temperature of the tunnels. It wouldn't be able to go extremely far but perhaps far enough to give them idea of which one to head down. Alistair might have an idea of where they should be going anyway - maybe what was being sought after.

 

[Henk]

"Ah... Mr. St Preux!"

Henk's descent was stalled temporarily by Erendias' call. Captured and bound by the Dreadlords and still running his mouth? The man was either very bold or very foolish. The latter was of course the obvious answer to that conundrum. Still, he'd gotten the poor fellow into this, the least he could do was not ignore him.

"Yes, Ascillian?" Henk turned his head to look back at the helpless chap, who stared back with the eyes of a pleading animal caught in a trap. Henk almost felt bad, but he took solace in the fact that Ascillian would likely be let off with a warning; given there was a much more enticing prize in Henk himself here. "P-please do remember to..."

Quickly Henk cut the man off. "I haven't forgotten, Ascillian. You'll be safe up here, nobody has a reason to want to harm you. Now pipe down." An unsure mumble left the pampered-looking man before he ceased struggling against his bindings and merely watched as the group descended into the belly of the beast, so to speak.

It wasn't long before the labyrinthine nature of the catacombs reared its head, and the three of them came to a split in the tunnels. They really didn't have time to be looking for clues every time they came to a fork in the road when chasing after somebody as deceptively quick as Edric, but Henk had already relinquished his autonomy to Krixus for now.

"As long as it can be done quick, that will be very useful. Time is of the utmost now, I have reason to believe they will find what they came for in these tunnels if we give them enough time."

What they came for was the same thing that Henk sought, and he wouldn't be shocked if the same could be said of the Anirians surrounding him. "And you, miss Aelita... You're a light bender like myself, correct? Have you mastered barriers yet?"

 

[Aelita]

As ordered, Aelita dropped Erendias off at the entrance of the catacombs.

“Til next time, Ascillian,” Aelita told him with a smile.

When Alistair materialized a rune upon her clothing (as she still remained unarmored, much like the fortress monks), she gave it an inquisitive prod of a finger.

Brandishing her spear-tipped staff, Aelita took formation as the group descended into the dark catacombs. As Aelita had better skills from range, she took the rear.

An eyebrow perked up as Lumen mentioned using temperature to track their prey.

“Like a viper?” was Aelita’s comment.

Nothing else was said to Lumen as Aelita saw the fellow Blonde Squad Initiate begin to work her magic.

Aelita’s attention shifted to Henk once he began speaking toward her.

“Hmm, ‘mastered’ is a strong word,” Aelita replied before enthusiastically adding, “But a light shield, I can create.”

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"You seem to know what they are looking for Henk. Mind sharing?"

Alistair asked with more than a little edge to his voice. He had largely remained silent during their entrance to the catacombs. It was not easy keeping track of the entire layout in his head, so he was paying extra attention to the direction they were moving in.

Making it all the more difficult was the fact that he knew Edric was down here, likely along with others. He wished he could ignore a worrying feeling that he was leading them all to their doom.

A glowing rune on Alistair's shirt had activated to bathe the area in front of them in light.

"Lumen, do it, quickly. Aelita, refrain from discussing the limits of your abilities with criminals."

He shot a look to Henk, and as much as he wanted to ignore it all and go back to being friends. They could not ignore the fact that he also had come here to steal something from underneath their noses, he was just being more amicable than Ed.

If they managed to stop Edric and his people, then it was equally as likely that they may have to fight Henk after all of this.

The natural formation that they had fallen into was likely the one that would work the best. Henk and Alistair would be the first ones to make contact, allowing Lumen to fill in where necessary. Aelita could support them all from behind.

Henk Lumen Aelita Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric moved not at random, but with a careful pattern.

Stepping besides the wall, his lips moving in utter silence as he carried himself forward. Every footfall was near silent, neither echoing nor calling out to the catacombs at large. He seemed a shadow, sneaking through the tunnels as though he had always belonged to them.

He moved quickly, swiftly, until finally he reached one of the large chambers below Vel Draza.

A massive crypt lay before him, hundreds upon hundreds of coffins laying in dozens of rows. Between them were flicking firelights, casting light throughout the room. Though no heat nor smoke rose from the great sconces in which the flames sat.

The Rogue Dreadlord cocked his head, lingering for just a moment before he continued.

Rushing through the great Crypt and towards another opening on the other end.

 

[Lumen]

A small smile to Aelita. She’d never been compared to a snake before. A wary look to Henk. A nod to Alistair, their leader with fabulous hair.

Eyes closed. Brows furrowed together as she concentrated. Just as quickly her tawny-eyes snapped open. Looking more wild in the lowlight.

“A heat signature to the right, quickly moving away. More down the center tunnel a little…further. That’s it.”

Nothing to the left. And who knew if the ones she was sensing in the center were monks? Were there others besides the one she’d seen slip into the doorway?

 

[Henk]

Henk couldn't hold back the little smile that came to him at Alistair's 'protection' of his Initiates from him. Krixus was always a good man, he couldn't be offended that he didn't want Henk probing around the people under his command. Raising one of his covered hands to Aelita, he dismissed his prior line of questioning. If it came down to it, he would handle barriers.

"Suffice to say it's something that could give a considerable advantage to whichever side has it. In truth, I was hoping to turn it into the Academy upon my return, but..."

Shrugging his shoulders, he gestures to Alistair himself. "Obviously they were a step ahead of me on this matter." It may have been a blessing in disguise; seeing that Edric was here Henk had no doubt there were others, and while he was confident in his ability to combat The Warrior, anything more would overwhelm him.

His attention was pulled from Alistair as Lumen directed them to the right, and Henk quickly moved to traverse down that pathway, conjuring up a small ball of light no bigger than a coin between his index and middle finger. "He's moving towards the crypt then. We aren't too far behind."

Henk took point again, lighting any dark corners with the pin of light between his fingers, not enough light to give away their position ahead of time. The scale-like flaps on his arm-guards closed tight to prevent any stray light from his flesh from peering through the slits, and he looked back towards Lumen for guidance as they weaved through dark and twisting halls.

It wouldn't be long before their teamwork would lead them to the crypt as well, just in time to miss Edric exiting the other side.

"Miss Lumen, are there any other readings? Going this long without a fight is making me uneasy..."

 

[Aelita]

Immediately, Alistair commented on Aelita’s small disclosure of her own abilities.

“Yes, sir,” Aelita flatly replied.

As the group ventured into the catacombs, Aelita occasionally flung a ball of light behind them. A simple, harmless spell. However, since she took the rear she also made sure that she kept watch of what might be coming from behind the group.

Aelita glanced toward Henk when he mentioned the crypt.

“What’s he want in a crypt?” Aelita asked.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Suffice to say? Was that just his way of being difficult, or telling them he would not say? Alistair's frown deepened although it likely could not be seen from the dark shadows being cast about by the light.

The size of the catacombs down here was not to be underestimated. There were several large crypts that held magical artifacts or pieces of information. However, the direction in which Lumen was detecting life did narrow down the options.

Only two large caverns likely held whatever the intruders were looking for. Alistair decided to keep his thoughts to himself, they were already moving in the right direction, so no reason for him to add anything.

As they continued forward, the others may notice that Alistair was beginning to slow down. He fell back to Lumen and then Aelita's position, before being behind all of them. His hand was absentmindedly tracing something along the wall as he seemed to be staring off into nothing.

"Lumen, you are in charge. Keep moving towards the targets...Henk, look after them."

He did not explain anything else but peeled off down a tunnel leading to the right.

Edric Henk Aelita Lumen

 

[Edric]

Just as Edric moved to cross the threshold out of the crypt a voice reverberated in his mind. It was not a pleasant sensation, not a whisper in his mind or something that called to him as though on a breeze. The words were more like a spike, forcing a wince through his whole body.

It is nearly done.
A scowl pulled at his lips, and he came to a slow stop as he recognized the touch of Numera's magic. He had only felt it once before, but the sensation had enough unpleasantness that he couldn't help the goosebumps which crawled up his spine. There are Dreadlords here.

The warning flickered back on that same tether which he knew would reach the other rogue, though for a few moments he heard only silence.

Then that unpleasantness came crawling back through his spine.

Stall them.

A scowl pulled over Edric's lips, his eyes closing for a moment as he took in a deep breath and turned around. Beyond, near the entrance of the crypt directly opposite him he could begin to see light casting into a massive chamber.

Edric's silhouette just barely visible all across the way to those who entered.

 

[Lumen]

She paused a moment as Alistair hung back and melted into the shadows behind them. What was he doing? She hoped he wasn't about to go and try be heroic all by himself. That just ended up in death. 80/100 times.

Shoulders squared.

Circular shield shifted in front of her.

But she was in charge. And just like her studies and training, she would take that seriously. Thanks to Aelita's light, she saw that the tunnel opened ahead. And there was already flickering torch-light there.

Miss Lumen, are there any other readings? Going this long without a fight is making me uneasy...

"Just ahead," she whispered. "the heat signature has," exiting the corridor and into the crypt chamber her eyes locked onto the figure waiting for them at the other end, "stopped." Tawny-eyes widened as she swallowed. Alistair and Henk had never said who they'd been talking to. Who they'd been chasing.

It was none other than Edric, the class above them's prodigal boogy-man. A thing of nightmares and legends. And just like Henk, one of the defectos.

Lumen's face hardened as she looked across the stone neatly-laid out rows of tombs that came about waist high with sealed tops. A central, wider aisle rand down middle straight to the exit where Edric waited. It was clear he wasn't running anymore.

"Should I bother asking questions?" Voice rang out across the distance between them. "Will you tell us what you're doing here? Will you submit peacefully or continue to turn your back on our country?"

A whisper to Henk and Aelita. "Fan out but don't get too separated. If we need to attack, work together." Her grip tightened on her drawn sword as she began to move closer.

 

[Henk]

Lumen and Aelita were welcome to fan out if they wished, but Henk did not intend to involve them in the fight that was about to happen. Alistair had left him with a request, to watch over them. He couldn't send them to battle Edric, not in good conscience. As Lumen stepped forward, Henk's arm outstretched in front of her.

"No. I'm in front. Support me from the secondary."

Lumen could be in charge all she wanted, but she wasn't taking this from him.

Pushing past the armored woman, Henk walked slowly towards the center of the room, his eyes never leaving the familiar shape in front of him. How many times had he taken this position with Edric in the past? It seemed like hundreds, the battles they'd shared in sparring sessions. All of them had ended the same way; Henk on his back and Edric looking down at him. One of them had even ended with the scar that ran from his lips.

If this fight ended the same as the rest, if Henk wound up on his back again... There was no guarantee that he'd ever get back up. The one chance he had to redeem himself to those he'd let down would be wasted.

Henk had to win, and for the first time, he felt truly confident that he could.

"I'll ask you one more time to get out of my way, Edric. I have to do this, and I can't let you stop me." He couldn't get the look Edric had given the both of them earlier. That sad, regretful expression had seemed so foreign on him. Maybe... Edric was still on their side. It didn't change anything. He was still in the way. They were at an impasse.

Sliding his feet apart, Henk readied his arms for battle. The scale-like openings on Ralene's armguards slowly opened, beams of light shooting from every opening and illuminating the entire Crypt like strips of solid sun. Henk clenched his fists, the blades in his wrists sliding out to a ready position, their tips crackling with red heat.

"Please, friend. You can't beat me."

 

[Aelita]

Alistair fell back from the front.

“Wha-“ Aelita began just before Alistair declared that Lumen stood in charge.

“What?!” she said again as she watched Alistair contemplate something about a wall.

Then, the leading Dreadlord disappeared down another tunnel.

Aelita looked toward Lumen. The knightly comrade just continued. So, Aelita followed and continued to provide light.

---

Eventually, the trio came upon Edric. Aelita said nothing to the notorious upperclassman. Her normally smiling face grew harsh and stern. She gave a silent nod to Lumen’s command to spread out.

An eyebrow arched after Henk forced himself to the forefront. Another glance toward Lumen.

Regardless, Aelita wielded her staff. She shifted and twisted it in a deliberate pattern. Henk’s spectacular lighting may have almost drowned out the small spark that appeared at the tip of Aelita’s weapon.

A spell had been prepared. Aelita waited to activate it, if needed...

 

[Edric]

Edric stared at the small group that stepped out of the tunnel and into the crypt. His lips thinned almost instantly as he saw them, one question flickering through his mind instantly. Where's Alistair?.

Was he going around? Did he double back to raise the alarm? Was he heading towards the others?

All of them were a possibility, but none were something he could address. Briefly he thought a warning to the other Rogue Dreadlords in Vel Draza, though he had no idea if it would actually reach them. Then he watched as the light began to cast through the entire crypt.

He blinked a few times, adjusting his vision.

Watching as Henk slowly began to close the distance between them.

Edric didn't speak a word, his expression didn't change. Instead he waited until Henk was in the very center of the room. Then he slowly reached to his side. The sound of metal clicking against itself echoed through the empty crypt, then it sounded again.

The leather armor that draped over Edric's form shuffled, and then echoed with a dusty thud as he threw it onto the floor.

Next followed to knives, both pulled from the small of his back. Their blades were pure black, so dark they did not even catch the light of Henk's magic as Edric tossed them onto his discarded leather armor. Then, slowly, he raised his arms into the air.

Without a word he began to walk forward towards Henk.

 

[Lumen]

Lumen didn't take offense to Henk going first. But she slid just to the right of him so she still had a line on Edric. Sword and shield remained raised even as the armor and knives clinked to the floor. Jaw clenched.

None of this made any sense.

Stretching her magic forward, she focused on the temperature of Edric's face. They always said if one was lying, the temperature on the face changed. Regardless of that, she'd be ready if it was a bluff.

"Can you knock him out?" She'd whisper behind Henk. Better to take control of the situation. It was clear he wasn't asking any questions. And she'd sensed others down the other tunnel before they'd split off this way.

And it wasn't like they had any of those magic binder cuffs.

 

[Henk]

Henk didn't move at the sound of Edric's armor and weapons clattering against the cold floor beneath them, save for the narrowing of his eyes at his former comrade. He stemmed the flow of light from his arms ever so slightly, saving his supply for whatever may come next. Lumen's hushed question behind him was met with a minute shrug of his shoulders. "Regenerator..." He whispered back. "Long as he has something to draw life from, he could survive the whole place coming down."

The key to beating Edric, Henk had found, was to not give him that chance. This environment wasn't to Ed's advantage, and while there were two perfectly viable targets standing behind him, Henk had taken measures to make the draining of his own life more challenging. Whether or not those measures would actually work though... well, there was only one way to find out.

That was if Edric's seeming surrender wasn't legitimate. The Warrior was making his way towards their group unarmed and with his hands in the air, but Henk didn't let his guard down in the slightest. He'd seen how easily even a weaponless Edric could bulldoze through opponents. Before Edric could get too close, Henk called to him.

"Stop there. Don't come any closer."

Any further and Aelita and Lumen would have to move around Henk to maintain a clear line of sight at their mark, and if he tried anything, all three of them would have to give him everything at once to slow him down. He couldn't risk them like that.

Blades still sizzling with heat and readied to strike, he continued.

"If you really intend to surrender, tell us how many we're dealing with, and if they've figured out where to look yet."

He wanted to give him a chance to come back, truly he did. Doubts filled his head regardless of his desires, however.

 

[Aelita]

With a faint grin, Aelita’s head panned slightly around – but not too much so that Edric escaped her view.

Nothing was said.

She shifted her stance. The light on her staff intensified. A spell against Henk’s wishes remained prepared.

Aelita would cast it at the first instance of hostilities.

 

[Edric]

Edric continued to walk forward until Henk called out to him, the other Initiate's voice echoing within the center of the crypt. The sound almost reverberating with the odd layout of the dozens of tombs that lay all around them.

As his voice fell silent, the sound of the Rogue Dreadlords boots called out. Coming to a stop just seconds after Henk's demand was made.

His hands remained in the air, strange snake like eyes settling on his former classmate. Keenly aware of the two hounds that stood behind him, eager on their chains. "They'll have found it by now."

Edric answered, he did not know how, but Leilwin and Gilram had known this place well.

"I can show you how they plan to get out." He offered.

Alistair Krixus

As Alistair made his way through the Undercroft in the other direction, a voice called out to him from one of the tunnels ahead. "He was supposed to kill you."

Leilwin's voice drifted out.

"But then I suppose I can't blame him." Her words seemed to echo from all around. "I could never kill my own classmates either."

As Alistair turned the corner he would find a woman standing in the middle of one of the halls. She was beautiful, strikingly so. Her long red hair flowed down well beneath her shoulders, tattoos crawled up the side of her neck, and the expression she wore was a picture of calm.

The moment Alistair met her eyes he would find himself no longer standing in the Undercroft of Vel Draza. No longer trapped in the claustrophobic dark of winding tunnels, but instead a bright green field of grass. The sun shining down on the both of them, warmth casting over their skin.